Integrated Connector Unit

ABSTRACT

According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated jack unit is provided. The integrated jack unit includes a housing. The integrated jack unit also includes a jack positioned at least in part in the housing. The integrated jack unit also includes a power controller positioned in the housing and coupled to the jack by a line. The line is designated for coupling with a transformer. The integrated jack unit also includes a pin protruding outwardly from the housing. The pin is electrically coupled to the jack through the power controller and the line. The pin is positioned to receive power for the jack from a printed circuit board.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.10/326,236 filed Dec. 20, 2002 and entitled “Integrated Connector Unit”,now U.S. Pat. No. 7,026,730.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of communications and moreparticularly to an integrated connector unit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A communications switch, such as an ethernet switch, allows a pluralityof communications devices to communicate with one another. To establisha conduit for data between the communications switch and thecommunications device, a connector may be coupled to the printed circuitboard (“PCB”) of the communications switch so that the communicationsdevice may plug into the connector. A connector is also referred to as a“jack.” Where possible, the communication device may also receive powerfrom the jack. Providing power through the jack eliminates the need forthe communications device to have a separate power source, such as anAC/DC power source. Power provided through the jack is referred to as“inline power.”

Jacks are sometimes manufactured as a jack unit that includes in itshousing one or more jacks and some of the components for carrying data.For example, isolation transformers for the data lines may be includedin the housing of a jack unit. The pins of a jack unit may be solderedonto the PCB to electrically couple the data components in the housingof jack unit to the appropriate components of the PCB. Including some ofthe components for carrying data in the housing saves board space on thePCB. However, positioning the isolation transformers in the housing ofthe jack unit may not allow inline power to be provided to thecommunications devices that plug into the jack unit. This is because thejack side of the isolation transformer, which must be accessible toprovide inline power, is blocked by the housing of the jack unit. Thus,inline power may not be available where the isolation transformers areincluded in a jack unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one embodiment of the invention, an integrated jack unit isprovided. The integrated jack unit includes a housing. The integratedjack unit also includes a jack positioned at least in part in thehousing. The integrated jack unit also includes a power controllerpositioned in the housing and coupled to the jack by a line. The line isdesignated for coupling with a transformer. The integrated jack unitalso includes a pin protruding outwardly from the housing. The pin iselectrically coupled to the jack through the power controller and theline. The pin is positioned to receive power for the jack from a printedcircuit board.

Some embodiments of the invention provide numerous technical advantages.Some embodiments may benefit from some, none, or all of theseadvantages. For example, according to one embodiment, inline power maybe provided through integrated jack units. According to anotherembodiment, the design of a main printed circuit board is simplifiedwithout substantially complicating the design of the jack unit.According to another embodiment, the overall manufacturing process ofnetworking equipment is simplified because jack units having integratedisolation transformers may be used for both Ethernet, non-Ethernet,standard Ethernet, and inline Ethernet applications. According toanother embodiment, a same printed circuit board design may be used forboth standard and inline powered systems because the inline powercircuitry is in the jack unit.

Other technical advantages may be readily ascertained by one of skill inthe art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numbers representlike parts, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of acommunications system that may benefit from the teachings of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of anintegrated jack unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 2B is a perspective view of one embodiment of the integrated jackunit of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of one embodiment of the integrated jack unit ofFIG. 2B; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method ofproviding inline power through one embodiment of the integrated jackunit of FIG. 2A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are best understood by referring to FIGS. 1through 4 of the drawings, like numerals being used for like andcorresponding parts of the various drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of acommunications system 10 that may benefit from the teachings of thepresent invention. System 10 comprises network segments 18A through 18Cthat are coupled to each other over a communications network 24 and/or acommunications switch 14. Network segments 18A through 18C are jointlyreferred to as network segments 18. As shown in FIG. 1, network segment18A is coupled to network segment 18B over communications switch 14.Network segment 18C is coupled to network segments 18A and 18B overcommunications network 24 and communications switch 14. More or lessnetwork segments 18 may be coupled to each other over communicationsnetwork 24 and communications switch 14.

Network segments 18A through 18C each comprises one or morecommunications devices 20. A jack unit 30 is coupled to communicationsswitch 14 to provide one or more ports (not explicitly shown) that maybe used to physically connect communications devices 20. For example, acable having plugs may be used to plug in communications devices 20 tojack unit 30. In some embodiments, switch 14 and network segments 18 maybe devices that are capable of operating according to the ethernetnetwork standard.

Communications switch 14 may be operable to send and receive packets toand from communications devices 20 according to the addresses of thepackets. Upon receiving one or more packets from device 20, switch 14sends the received packets to a particular communications device 20 thatis identified by the included address. Switch 14 may send and receivethe packets over network 24, jack unit 30, or any other suitable conduitor a combination of conduits that couples switch 14 to communicationsdevices 20. In some examples, a hub, a router, or any other suitabledevice may be used instead of switch 14. Communications device 20 may beany communications device that is operable to communicate with othercommunications devices over a network architecture. Examples ofcommunications device 20 include a Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”)phone and a computer.

Jack unit 30 may comprise one or more RJ-45 jacks; however, jack unit 30may comprise other types of jacks. Where jack unit 30 comprises RJ-45jacks, communications devices 20 may plug into jack unit 30 using cableshaving plugs that are adaptable to a RJ-45 jack. Jack unit 30 may alsocomprise one or more isolation transformers within its housing. A jackunit having isolation transformers within its housing is referred to asa “mag jack.” Thus, jack unit 30 may also be referred to as mag jack 30.An isolation transformer is a transformer that is operable to protectthe components of switch 14, such as integrated circuit chips, againstexcessive common mode voltages from communications devices 20 and/orcables attaching devices 20 to switch 14. Mag jack 30 generally includesoutwardly disposed pins that may be soldered onto the appropriateapertures of a printed circuit board of communications switch 14,thereby electrically coupling the components of mag jack 30 to thecomponents of communications switch 14. The use of mag jack 30 savesspace on the main printed circuit board (“PCB”) of switch 14 because theisolation transformers are in mag jack 30 rather than on the PCB.

To send and receive packets from switch 14, communications device 20 mayestablish a physical connection with switch 14. To that end,communications device 20 may plug into mag jack 30. Along with aphysical connection to switch 14, communications device 20 may alsorequire access to power in order to send and receive packets to and fromswitch 14. Power may be provided to communications device 20 in avariety of ways. For example, alternating current (“AC”) power may beprovided to communications device 20 by plugging communications device20 into a wall socket. In another example, communications device 20 mayreceive direct current (“DC”) power from a battery pack. Power may alsobe provided inline, which refers to transmitting power from switch 14 tocommunications device 20 over a jack unit and the physical cable thatplugs into the jack unit. One advantage of providing inline power tocommunications device 20 is that it eliminates the need to provide aseparate power source for device 20 at the physical location of device20. Providing inline power also simplifies the design and configurationof communications device 20.

However, inline power is conventionally not provided for communicationsdevices 20 plugged into a mag jack because the housing of the mag jackthat integrates the isolation transformers to the jack unit alsoprevents a designer from injecting power into the side of thetransformer that is electrically coupled to a jack of the mag jack. Ifinline power is not provided to the jack-side of the isolationtransformer, then DC power is required to travel across the isolationtransformer to reach the jack and thus is blocked by the isolationtransformer. Also, AC line power may not pass readily across theisolation transformer. In some situations, it may be difficult for adesigner to simply add a pin to a mag jack to access the jack side ofthe isolation transformer 30 for power injection because the proximityof the pins may cause an arcing of the power current. Thus,conventionally, the benefits of inline power are not available for a magjack.

According to some embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus andmethod are provided that allow inline power to be provided for a magjack by positioning a power controller within the mag jack. Additionaldetails of example embodiments of the invention are described in greaterdetail below in conjunction with portions of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 2A through4.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in one embodiment of the invention, a powercontroller that controls inline power is positioned in mag jack 30 alongwith one or more isolation transformers. In another embodiment, a powerconverter that supplies the inline power is also positioned in mag jack30. Because the power controller is in the housing of mag jack 30,inline power may be injected into the jack side of the isolationtransformer to provide inline power for the jacks of mag jack 30. A magjack having a power controller in its housing is referred to as an“integrated inline power mag jack” or an “power mag jack.” As such, magjack 30 is referred to from hereinafter as power mag jack 30.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of power magjack 30 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is a perspective view of one embodimentof power mag jack 30 of FIG. 2A. FIGS. 2A and 2B are described jointly.Power mag jack 30 comprises a housing 70 (shown on FIG. 2B as well).Housing 70 defines power mag jack 30 as a separate component separatefrom a PCB 110. As shown in FIG. 2B, power mag jack 30 is a device thatis separate from PCB 110 that may be added or removed from PCB 110 as asingle component of PCB 110. PCB 110 is also referred to as motherboard110. Referring back to FIG. 2A, a jack 74 defining a receiving cavity 76is positioned at least in part in housing 70. In one embodiment, anisolation transformer set 78 having at least two transformers 78A and78B is positioned within housing 70 and coupled to jack 74 through lines82 and 84. Because lines 82 and 84 couple isolation transformer set 78to jack 74, lines 82 and 84 are also referred to as “jack side” lines 82and 84. In some embodiments, more than one jack 74 may be included inpower mag jack 30. In such embodiments, the number of components thatsupport jack 74, such as the number of transformers 78A and 78B inisolation transformer set 78, may be increased to support the additionaljacks 74. However, regardless of the number of jacks 74 in power magjack 30, all of jacks 74 and their supporting components are packaged asa single component within housing 70.

In one embodiment, lines 82 couple transformer 78A to a datatransmission portion 88 of jack 74. Data transmission portion 88 is usedfor outgoing packets. Lines 84 couple transformer 78B to a data receiveportion 90 of jack 74. Data receive portion 90 is used for incomingpackets. In one embodiment, lines 86A and 86B are coupled to respectivecenter taps 80A and 80B of transformers 78A and 78B. Lines 86A and 86Bare operable to carry inline power for jack 74 without going throughtransformer set 78 so that inline power may be available forcommunications devices 20, which may be plugged into jack 74. In oneembodiment, lines 86A and 86B are terminated by a termination 94 priorto reaching jack 74. A termination 94 is a load that is positionedwithin housing 70 and used to minimize common node noise. In oneembodiment, termination 94 may comprise one or more DC blockingcapacitors 98. In one embodiment, three or fewer DC blocking capacitors98 may be used. In some embodiments, a BOB SMITH termination may be usedas termination 94; however, any other suitable termination may be usedas termination 94.

According to the teachings of the invention, a power controller 100 ispositioned in housing 70 of power mag jack 30 to provide inline power.In one embodiment, power controller 100 is coupled to center tap 80Athrough a power switch 102 and line 86A; however, in some embodiments,power controller 100 may be coupled to center tap 80B through powerswitch 102 and line 86B. Positioning power controller 100 in housing 70of power mag jack 30 rather than on motherboard 110 of switch 14 (shownin FIG. 1) is advantageous in some embodiments of the invention for thefollowing reason. Because power controller 100 is inside of housing 70,power controller 100 is not physically prevented by housing 70 fromphysically coupling to one or more of jack side lines 86A or 86B. Withphysical access to jack side lines 86A and 86B, power controller 100 mayprovide inline power to jack 74. Thus, manufacturing power controller100 as a part of power mag jack 30 allows a designer to benefit from theadvantages of integrating isolation transformers into a jack unit andthe advantages of providing inline power to communications device 20. Insome embodiments, isolation transformer set 78 may not be included inhousing 70. Power controller 100 may be positioned within housing 70that does not include isolation transformer set 78. This is advantageousin some embodiments because, regardless of the type of jack unit, aprinted circuit board receiving the jack unit may be manufactured usinga same design because the circuitry for controlling inline power, ifany, would be in the jack unit and not on the printed circuit board.

Power mag jack 30 may be coupled to PCB 110 by soldering connectors 104to their corresponding apertures 114 (shown in FIG. 2B) of PCB 110.Connectors 104 are also referred to herein as pins 104. A “pin” refersto any type of connector, such as an edge connector or a matingconnector. By coupling pins 104 to their corresponding apertures 114,the various devices of power mag jack 30 are electrically coupled to theappropriate components of PCB 110. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, pin104A may be inserted into a particular aperture 114 that is connected toone or more physical devices 118. Because pin 104A is also coupled toisolation transformer set 78, pin 104A may be used as a data pin thatcarries data between physical devices 118 of PCB 110 and isolationtransformer set 78. In one embodiment, physical device 118 is anethernet physical layer transceiver 118. Physical device 118 may beoperable to perform a variety of functions associated with communicationdepending on the network standard being used. For example, if physicaldevice 118 were an ethernet physical device 118, ethernet physicaldevice 118 may perform some or all of the layer one functions, such aspacketing TCP/IP packets received from communications device 20 overisolation transformer set 78 into ethernet packets. PCB 110 may alsoinclude a power converter 120 that may be coupled to a power source 124.In one embodiment, pins 104M and 104N that are coupled to switch 102 andcenter tap 80B, respectively, may be inserted into particular apertures114 that are connected to power converter 120 of PCB 110.

In one embodiment, a power converter 108 may also be positioned in powermag jack 30. This is advantageous in some embodiments because of theresulting savings in board space on motherboard 110. Although FIG. 2Ashows power converter 108 positioned in housing 70, power converter 108may also be position outside of housing 70 and on motherboard 110 as aseparate component. In such embodiments, DC power having 48 volts may bereceived from an outside power converter 108 through one or more of pins104, such as pins 104M and 104N. In one embodiment, when power mag jack30 is coupled to motherboard 110, pin 104M may be used to receive powerand carry that power to power switch 102 controlled by power controller100 or directly to power controller 100. In one embodiment, power switch102 is a simple on/off switch; however, a variable resistance elementmay be used as power switch 102. In one embodiment, power converter 108is operable to receive AC power and provide DC power for power switch102. In one embodiment, power converter 108 is operable to provide DCpower having a level of 48 volts. In one embodiment, some pins 104 maybe used to couple different devices in power mag jack 30 to otherappropriate portions of motherboard 110. In one embodiment, power may beprovided to ethernet unused pairs (not explicitly shown) . Such anembodiment does not require isolation transformers.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of portions of the power mag jack 30 illustratedin FIGS. 2A and 2B, showing the placement of pins 104. As shown in FIG.3, one embodiment of power mag jack 30 comprises pins 104A through 104N(jointly referred to as pins 104) that are protruding outwardly fromhousing 70 of power mag jack 30. In one embodiment, power mag jack 30may comprise more pins 104 than conventional jack units because inlinepower is provided to power mag jack 30. In some embodiments where anethernet standard is used, pins 104 may serve the following functions:Pin 104A carries an ethernet TX negative pulse. Pin 104B carries anethernet center tap TX bias. Pin 104C carries an ethernet TX positivepulse. Pins 104D and 104E are no connect pins. In some embodiments, pins104D and 104E may be omitted. Pin 104F carries an ethernet RX center tapbias. Pin 104G carries an ethernet RX negative pulse. Pin 104H carriesan ethernet RX positive pulse. The extra pins 104 for providing inlinepower are pins 104I through 104N, in one embodiment. Pin 104I carriesserial clock input signals. Pin 104J carries serial data input signals.Pin 104K carries serial clock output signals. Pin 104L carries serialdata output signals. Pin 104M is for ethernet power main. Pin 104N isfor ethernet power return. Although a particular arrangement of pins 104is shown in FIG. 3, other arrangements of pin 104 are possible in otherembodiments. Further, more or less pins 104 may be used for power magjack 30 depending on the design specifications. In one embodiment,distances d₁ and d₂ referred to by reference numbers 160 and 162,respectively, may be sufficiently wide to lower the probability ofarcing between pins 104A through 104L and power pins 104M through 104N.In one embodiment, power converter 108 may comprise an isolation barrier(not explicitly shown) to reduce the distances referred to by referencenumbers 160 and 162. Examples of an isolation barrier include atransformer, a capacitor, and an optocoupler.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating one embodiment of a method 200 forproviding inline power through one embodiment of power mag jack 30.Method 200 starts at step 204. At step 208, jack 74 is coupled toisolation transformer set 78 through a line, such as line 86A or 86A. Atstep 210, a termination 94 is installed for the line. In someembodiments, step 210 may be omitted. In some embodiments, a BOB SMITHtermination may be used as termination 94; however, any other suitabletermination may be used as termination 94. At step 214, power controller100 is coupled to the line. Coupling power controller 100 to the lineallows power to be injected into center taps 80 that are positioned onthe jack-side of isolation transformer set 78. At step 218, powerconverter 108 is coupled to power controller 100. In one embodiment,step 218 may be omitted. At step 220, connector 104, such as pins 104,may be coupled to power controller 100. In an embodiment where powerconverter 108 is included in power mag jack 30, pin 104 is coupled topower controller 100 through power converter 108. At step 224, jack 74,isolation transformer set 78, the line, such as line 86A or 86B, BOBSMITH termination 94, power controller 100, power converter 108, andpins 104 are packaged using housing 70 as a single component 30 that maybe coupled to PCB 110. In some embodiments, BOB SMITH termination 94 orpower converter 108 may be omitted from being packaged in housing 70 atstep 224. Method 200 stops at step 228.

Although some embodiments of the present invention have been describedin detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions,and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

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 31. An integrated jack unit, comprising: ahousing; a jack positioned at least in part in the housing; a powercontroller positioned in the housing and coupled to the jack by a line;and a pin protruding outwardly from the housing, the pin electricallycoupled to the jack through the power controller and the line.
 32. Theintegrated jack unit of claim 31, and further comprising a terminationhaving one or more direct current blocking capacitors, the terminationpositioned in the housing and coupled to the line.
 33. The integratedjack unit of claim 31, and further comprising a power converterpositioned in the housing, the power converter coupled to the pin andthe power controller.
 34. The integrated jack unit of claim 31, andfurther comprising a power converter positioned in the housing, thepower converter coupled to the pin and the power controller, wherein thepower converter is operable to receive power through the pin and inresponse provide electricity having a level of 48 volts to the powercontroller.
 35. The integrated jack unit of claim 31, and furthercomprising a power converter positioned in the housing, the powerconverter coupled to the pin and the power controller, wherein the powerconverter is operable to receive alternating current through the pin andin response provide direct current.
 36. The integrated jack unit ofclaim 31, and further comprising a power converter positioned in thehousing, the power converter coupled to the pin and the powercontroller, wherein the power converter is operable to receivealternating current through the pin and in response provide directcurrent having a level of 48 volts.
 37. The integrated jack unit ofclaim 31, wherein the jack is a RJ-45 jack.
 38. An integrated RJ jackunit, comprising: a housing means; an isolation means; means forreceiving an RJ plug positioned at least in part in the housing meansand coupled to the isolation means; means for controlling power coupledto the line and located in the housing means; and a conductive means forreceiving power, the conductive means protruding outwardly from thehousing means and electrically coupled to the means for receiving the RJplug by the means for controlling power and the line.
 39. The integratedRJ jack unit of claim 38, and further comprising means for supplyingpower coupled to the conductive means and the means for controllingpower, the means for supplying power positioned in the housing means.40. The integrated RJ jack unit of claim 38, wherein the predeterminedlevel is 1.5 kilovolts.
 41. A method for providing inline power using anintegrated jack unit, comprising: coupling a jack to at least onetransformer; coupling a power controller to the line; coupling a pin tothe power controller; and packaging the jack, the transformer, the line,and the power controller in a housing.
 42. The method of claim 41, andfurther comprising positioning a termination in the housing and couplingthe termination to the line.
 43. The method of claim 41, and furthercomprising: providing a termination having one or more direct currentblocking capacitors; positioning the termination in the housing; andcoupling the termination to the line.
 44. The method of claim 41, andfurther comprising positioning a power converter in the housing andcoupling the power converter to the pin and the power controller. 45.The method of claim 41, and further comprising: positioning a powerconverter in the housing; coupling the power converter to the pin andthe power controller; using the power converter, receiving alternatingcurrent; and using the power converter, converting the alternatingcurrent to direct current.
 46. The method of claim 41, wherein the jackis a RJ-45 jack.
 47. The method of claim 42, wherein the termination isa BOB SMITH termination.
 48. The method of claim 44, and furthercomprising coupling a isolation barrier to the power converter.
 49. Themethod of claim 41, and further comprising receiving, at the pin, adirect current from a printed circuit board.